BW Digital, Ciena Hit 1.2 Tb/s on Hawaiki
BW Digital Sets 1.2 Tb/s Record on Hawaiki Cable With Ciena
By Sean Mitchell, DataCenter News
June 4, 2025
BW Digital has achieved a new data transmission record of 1.2 Tb/s per wavelength over a 4,300km segment of the Hawaiki Transpacific Cable using Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme solution.
The field trial aimed to address growing demands for high-capacity, energy-efficient connectivity between Australasia and the United States as datacentre requirements continue to rise in the region and beyond.
During the trial, BW Digital deployed Ciena’s GeoMesh Extreme, which incorporates WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) coherent technology on Waveserver compact interconnect platforms. The solution was operated over Ciena’s Reconfigurable Line System (RLS) submarine line terminating equipment, setting a new benchmark for data transmission speeds across the cable’s infrastructure.
Ciena’s WL6e technology is designed to enhance spectral efficiency and decrease the space and power needed per transmitted bit when compared to previous generations. This provides an avenue for future upgrades to the cable system to be more sustainable, aligning with industry shifts towards greener network infrastructure.
The Hawaiki cable, which spans 15,000 km and has been in operation since 2018, connects data centres across Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific and the US. The cable is considered a vital part of digital infrastructure for the regional and transpacific network ecosystem.
Virginie Frouin, Chief Business Officer at BW Digital, said: “The trial results announced today validate our strategy to focus on innovation to offer scalable, high-capacity solutions to our customers while constantly improving sustainability.”
Frouin added: “By integrating cutting-edge technology into our cable infrastructure, we further strengthen our digital ecosystem and create opportunities for our customers to leverage spectrum sharing and maximise their investment as the pace of innovation increases.”
Ivan Polizzi, Regional Managing Director for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands at Ciena, said: “BW Digital’s WL6e trial underscores the readiness of advanced coherent optics in improving the sustainability and operational economics of managing submarine networks today.”
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